Swiss side Fribourg-Gottéron experienced their first loss of the season at the hands of HC Pilsen with a 4-2 defeat, meanwhile, Adler Mannheim narrowly edged out the Bordeaux Boxers with a 5-4 victory in their previous fixture.

Fribourg's loss wasn't so much a comment on their ability as it was a product of their effort - Pilsen just outplayed them, period. The Swiss fired 24 shots on net while the Czechs fired 34, and the tracking doesn't lie. Pilsen were able to generate 11 high-danger opportunities. Fribourg? Three. So going forward, the focus for the Swiss should be on making sure they're not getting lost among the trees once the game gets going. Their scoring metrics show that Fribourg are capable of doing damage in the O-zone, now they just have to prove it.

Mannheim were the beneficiaries of a late goal by Kristian Reichel that catapulted them over the French side, but despite the win, it wasn't a pretty showing by the Germans. A lackluster start had them chasing the lead early on and even if they were able to mount a comeback, Bordeaux continued to hound them until the final buzzer. If they're to have any success against a team that's defensively better than their previous opponent, currently allowing 2.33 GAG, Mannheim will need to reframe their own defensive efforts.